. >> reporter: there was some public movement in the fiscal cliff standoff today. instead of holding dueling press conferences, republicans and democrats traded barbs on the house floor. >> where are the president's spending cuts? the longer the white house slow- walks this process, the closer our economy gets to the fiscal cliff. >> reporter: behind the scenes, progress is being made, but democrats are still arguing they've given ground in previous budget battles. that's one reason they are holding firm on higher taxes now. >> $1.6 trillion in cuts. "where are the cuts?" they are in bills that you, mr. speaker, have voted for. >> reporter: and there were new calls for more tax revenue today. warren buffett, vanguard founder john bogle, and financier george soros were among the famous names to call for a tougher estate tax. their proposal would exempt couples with up to $4 million in assets from the estate tax. above that level, estates would pay a 45% tax rate, rising to 50% or more on very large estates. supporters say that would both bring in badly needed revenu